Colin Kaepernick Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and More NFC West News

It took former San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith eight years to capture his first NFC NFC Offensive Player of the Week Award on October 31st. Yet it only took second-year pro Colin Kaepernick five career starts before he collected the same hardware for the very first time:

In terms of Kap's development, last Sunday's game may prove to be one the biggest games he will quarterback in all year.

Not to mention his four-touchdown-pass performance was also the first of his career. To put the significance into perspective—Smith had never thrown more than three touchdown passes in a single game, ever.

While I realize it's not fair to always compare No. 7 to his predecessor, it's going to happen, especially during the 2012 season. Whenever a younger player takes over for a vested veteran, the comparisons are bound to happen until the younger player distances himself from the veteran.

In addition to Kap's four touchdown passes, he also threw for 216 yards and only turned the ball over once on a night in which both teams combined for six turnovers.

Heading into Week 16, the 49ers will have to bring their same high-powered offensive attack into Century Link Field if they want to capture the NFC West crown. Slowing down the Seahawks may prove to be a tough task right now, but if anyone can do it, San Francisco can with Vic Fangio's hard-hitting defensive attack.